1 - Select flowers that are in their prime. IE: if you are drying celosias select plumes that still have bright and vivid colours. Stay away from blooms that have started to brown. For strawflowers cut before blooms are fully open.

2 - Make sure flowers are well watered and not wilting. Cut either mid morning or in the evening.

3 - Do not use flowers that are wet. If you must cut in the morning wait untill the dew is dry.

4 - Tie flower stems together in bunches and hang up-side down in a cool, airy and dark place out of direct sun.

5 - To keep your dried flowers looking their best display them in a place out of direct sun which will cause the blooms to fade.

This is an ongoing dried arrangement I made years ago. Each year I add at least one flower from my gardens. It started with flowers that the kids would get me for Mom's day and has just progressed.

I can't find the photo right now, but when our daughter's best friend's husband died unexpectedly, I collected flowers from all of the many arrangements and Steve made a wooden ladder with old barnwood and I placed small swags all over the rungs. She still has it standing in the corner of her living room.

“If you feel you’re being picked on, you should talk to the flowers in my garden!” ~ cgl
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Come visit us at Floral Design - [url]http://garden.org/forums/view/floraldesign/[/url]

“If you feel you’re being picked on, you should talk to the flowers in my garden!” ~ cgl
***************************************
Come visit us at Floral Design - [url]http://garden.org/forums/view/floraldesign/[/url]

I stared drying the first flowers of the season a few days ago, White Strawflowers, Hyssop, Scabiosa seedheads. Thats just the start, I'll keep harvesting till frost. The love-lies-bleeding is in full bloom now too........but I can't cut that one yet....its too pretty!

“If you feel you’re being picked on, you should talk to the flowers in my garden!” ~ cgl
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Come visit us at Floral Design - [url]http://garden.org/forums/view/floraldesign/[/url]